Bel Air Teen Receives Crown From Miss Maryland

BEL AIR, MD — Some people receive flowers or balloons when they are in the hospital. A Bel Air teen was surprised recently with a visit from Miss Maryland, who bestowed upon her a crown.

Macey Brietenback, 16, competed in the Miss Maryland Teen pageant at the end of October, a miracle for the girl whose rare disease makes it difficult to even leave her bed. She received a special recognition on the final evening of the pageant in North Bethesda when she was presented with a "Spirit Award" for her tenacity.

Brietenback has visceral myopathy, which causes intestinal obstruction.

When she was born, Brietenback was given one week to live. She spends much of her time in bed and has to be fed through a tube.

This week her mother reported on Facebook that the teen was hospitalized after becoming frighteningly ill.

While at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Brietenback had a special visitor. Miss Maryland USA Brittinay Nicolette came to see her on Sunday night, and WJZ caught the moment on camera when Nicolette gave her the crown.

"This girl is the definition of a fighter and a true queen through and through," Nicolette later said on the Miss Maryland USA Facebook page. "Please help me in sending Macey some prayer and positivity for a speedy recovery."

Brietenback's mother, Mickey, reported Tuesday night on a Facebook page dedicated to praying for daughter: "I am confident that she will recover! I can't believe two days ago she was so ill..I just want to take a minute to thank everyone for their prayers and for those who included their churches to pray for my daughter. She has completely turned the corner."

The Pray for Macey Facebook group has more than 9,200 members. Many of the members are individuals inspired by her story, including those who belong to churches that have added her to prayer lists. One group from Harford Christian even posted its basketball team praying for her, and a member of Harford Community Church posted a video of the entire congregation praying for her over the weekend.

Image via GoFundMe.